Benefits of access to patient records

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Confidential patient information must be kept safe and secure but it must also be shared more effectively

Sir, A poll this year found that 82 per cent of people think it is important for the NHS to offer opportunities to take part in healthcare research, including clinical trials. The consultation on the NHS Constitution announced yesterday is an opportunity to achieve this, for the benefit of all.

Patient records are an invaluable resource for research. They provide data that can be used to understand the causes of disease, to track infections, to recruit people to clinical trials, and to investigate the safety and effectiveness of drugs, treatments and interventions.

Sir, As a former council member and examiner for the Royal College of
Organists, may I endorse the proposal (letter,
Feb 28) that provision be made for a world-class pipe organ in a new
City of London concert hall